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  The woman paled and stepped back. “I am sorry.”

  “But yes, I am one of a clone set.”

  One of the brunettes giggled, “Do you really have to take all your men together at one time?”

  Nisa blushed. Everyone was waiting for the answer. “Not at the same time, but within a certain span of minutes, yes, if we want to have children. They can’t produce without me and I can’t produce without at least two of them.”

  The young women elbowed each other and widened their eyes speculatively.

  Nisa nodded to Beela. “If you are still willing, we will begin in five minutes.”

  The bride stood and positively sparkled with anticipation. “He may be only one man, but he is the one that I want. I am ready and willing.”

  Nisa grinned and left the bride’s tent.

  She crossed to the groom’s tent and Brother Timo stopped her before she got inside. “He is willing. Go tell the musicians to start.”

  Shrugging at the odd behaviour, she walked past the staring guests to the orchestra and gestured for them to begin the musical cues.

  Nisa took her position in front of the balance fountain and waited for the groom and his attendants to arrive.

  The first two men who strode up the aisle gave her surprised looks that turned into leers, but the next three locked her in a state of shock. Three men, all different except for two things, a black raptor on their chest, visible through their white shirts, and avian eyes came toward her, each one wearing surprise a moment before a possessive grin took over their features.

  Nisa was meeting her destiny and she couldn’t even speak.

  Chapter Three

  The groom took his position on one side of the flame and water fountain and the groomsmen turned as one to watch the young women in bright dresses make their way up the aisle. Nisa felt three pairs of eyes on her at random intervals, but she kept her composure and did her duty.

  The ceremony itself passed in a blur. Water was poured over the fire and it flickered but did not go out. Beela said her vows, Seelil said his and Nisa prompted them for all chants and convictions.

  The moment that the triumphant couple ran down the aisle, through the floral archways, Nisa breathed a sigh of relief.

  Each groomsman offered his arm to a bridesmaid and as a large unit they followed the couple through the floral pathway.

  Nisa gave the instructions to the guests and she was free to take the parchment and copies, giving one to the head of each family and storing one in the abbey archives. It was tempting to hide within the walls that she had come to know so well.

  Steeling her nerve, she joined the party, speaking with the mayor and his wife, accepting compliments on the execution of the ceremony.

  It took a while for the recording vids of the wedding party to be completed, but the moment that they reappeared, she only had eyes for her set. They were taller than she thought they would be, broader too. The young women were looking at them as if they were made of sweets and Nisa couldn’t blame them. The clones were deadly, graceful warriors in a sea of politicians and bureaucrats. They stood out.

  Nisa made her way to the seat that was reserved for her and smiled at those she was seated with.

  Her men had to sit at the head table and they watched her through all six courses.

  “Lady Nisa, the groomsmen are staring at you.” Father Wercos smiled as he finished the last of his dessert.

  “I am aware of it, Father.”

  “I wonder why that would be?”

  “Because they are mine and I am theirs.” She said it simply and the two couples at the table that had no ties to the abbey gasped in shock.

  The Brothers and Father Wercos smiled in relief.

  Brother Timo grinned. “We are glad that you have finally seen one another. We were getting worried that there was no way you would meet.”

  She blushed. “So, you have been plotting and scheming?”

  “More like we embraced the opportunity when it presented itself. We were getting worried that you would continue to mope around the abbey and eventually be the last one there with no one to care for. We won’t live forever, you know. We need you to be safe and stable.”

  She looked toward the head table where heat was building in the eyes of her three. “I don’t think that safe or stable is going to apply here, Brother.”

  He grinned. “Even better. Stable isn’t your style, Nisa. You need to get a little wild and seek out new experiences now and then.”

  Father Wercos leaned forward, “As long as your experiences are officially sanctioned and blessed by the creator. That will come first and then you can get wild.”

  She snickered. “That may take some doing. They are looking at me with intent, so if you can slow them down, be my guest.”

  Just as he was about to rebut her statement, the wedding party took the dance floor.

  The formal dances of Alorcan were lovely to watch, but Nisa’s gaze was drawn to her three men again and again.

  They stepped, turned, clapped and stepped again to the beat of the music. Out of all the dancers on the floor, they alone embodied power and seduction to her eyes.

  When the floor was opened to all dancers, her men paused and spoke to each other quietly. Father Wercos got to his feet and strode over with all the authority that he could muster.

  She leaned over and asked Brother Timo, “What do you think they are talking about?”

  Timo laughed. “Based on Father Wercos’s face, I would guess that they are getting a lecture on how to treat a lady and what kind of courtship will be required.”

  She groaned and hid her face in her hands. A light tap on her shoulder brought her out of her embarrassment.

  Father Wercos was looking very proud of himself. “Your set would like to ask you to dance.”

  A frisson of panic ran through her. “I can’t dance.”

  One of her men smiled. “I will teach you.”

  The two others scowled. “We will teach you.”

  The wedding guests were staring toward their small gathering and she got to her feet before any more people started paying attention.

  The male who had spoken first smiled. “I am Raz, this is Watt and Prio.”

  “Nisa.” She curtsied and blushed again.

  They smiled and bowed to her. Raz took her hand and led her to the edge of the dancers, quietly explaining the steps as they started to move, twist and clap with the rest of the wedding guests.

  Nisa watched Raz’s body for indication of what she needed to do next. The dancing was coming easier to her as she used his body language to control her motions.

  As they linked hands and walked in circles, he asked, “So, Nisa, how long have you been on Alorcan?”

  She smiled as they turned direction. “Over a decade. I don’t remember the exact date. Things were a little hectic when we first arrived.”

  They broke apart and instead of re-joining with Raz, Prio was there to take her hand and lead her forward during the dance.

  “You look lovely this evening, Nisa, and the event is perfect. I am sure that Beela will remember it all the days of her life.”

  Nisa smiled and looked around, “Do you think that Seelil will remember it fondly as well?”

  They stepped forward and he wrapped one arm around her while taking her other hand and moving her through a crowd. They passed the couple and she saw the look in the groom’s eyes as he danced with his bride.

  Prio murmured, “Seelil will remember Beela’s joy and that is more than enough for him.”

  They parted and instead of Prio, she was met with Watt when she returned. A few of the other dancers were snickering, but no one really seemed to mind the rotation.

  Watt was quiet as they stepped apart and back together. Her lips twitched as the music wound down and the couples came to a polite halt. “What did Father Wercos say to you?”

  Watt looked down at her, his eagle’s eyes gleaming with amusement. “He informed us that before we ta
ke you as our mate, we have to go through the stages of courtship. This is stage two.”

  He placed a hand in the small of her back and escorted her back to her table. The miniscule contact sent a tremor through her. All her life she had been wondering what it would feel like to be close to her three and now she knew.

  It was a feeling that she never wanted to lose. Her heart soared knowing that they were nearby and that she had the start that she always wanted.

  As Watt kissed her hand and bowed, a light beeping caught her attention. Prio and Raz were at his side in an instant and they kissed her hand lightly in turn before excusing themselves.

  Fabric from their shirts fluttered to the ground as they shifted into nine-foot tall eagles and the crowd murmured in surprise as the lawmen disappeared into the sky. The abbey was fairly high up, the gardens on the plateau, so they easily watched the lawmen glide toward the ground and their call.

  Father Wercos smiled at her. “Do you feel anything for the lawmen?”

  She tried to answer the question under the question. “You all have told me about the call to the priesthood, how you felt that the universe was calling you to a life of contemplation and service.”

  Timo nodded. “That is how it was for many of us.”

  “This is the same kind of call. I know that I am meant for them and they are meant for me. It is a surety in my very bones.” She twisted her lips and knotted her fingers on the table.

  “What is wrong, Nisa?”

  She sighed and looked at the Brothers seated with her one by one. “I know that we are meant to be together, but I have no idea how to go about it.”

  To her shock, Father Wercos turned bright red. “Ah, yes. That. I spoke to them on that matter and they agreed to allow you a delicate entrance into your physical relationship.”

  She chuckled at his embarrassment. “I am sure that I can figure that part out. I am fussing over details. Where will we live? After all these years, I am not sure that I can live in the city.”

  The priests sat back and they all had a stunned look on their faces. Father Wercos furrowed his brow. “I had not thought of that.”

  Nisa leaned forward and rested her forehead on her hands. “Suddenly, it is all I can think about.”

  Chapter Four

  There was always something rather lonely after a wedding at the abbey that caused a bittersweet feeling in Nisa’s gut. The joy was over. The laughter was absorbed into the living things in the garden. Video had been taken, music had poured through the spaces and down the mountainside.

  Nisa walked to the edge of the garden and stood on the wall. Standing alone in the darkness, her robes flowing around her, she called the wind.

  It was only safe to fly on moonless nights, so she took every opportunity to rise in the sky and let the wind carry her to a place where her mind could simply be free.

  Controlling the wind had only just begun when her parents were killed. She had developed it as needed during her life with the priests, but sometimes a girl just had to get away for a while.

  The first time she had flown, she had been alone, distraught and angry at the lack of exposure to people her own age. The priests had acknowledged what she was and taken steps to keep her safe. It was the third time in her life that someone had stood between her and danger, but as she transitioned from girl to woman, the need for people her age had been desperate.

  Her flight had been spontaneous as she ran to the edge of the gardens. The wind had come to her and bolstered her feet, making her rise in the air as she sprinted over the herb garden.

  She had shrieked in panic and had dropped to the ground, breaking her right arm. Brother Livvo had set her arm and they had taken turns caring for her around the clock. Despite her temper tantrum, Father Wercos had simply sat at her side and explained a few facts she wasn’t aware of.

  The Harmonic order was set up to worship life, naturally occurring life. To the rest of their order across the stars, Nisa Zask was an abomination that needed to be destroyed.

  When she had saved them on Mocoorow, she had proved to them that the clone sets were not made of evil intent. They did not harbour the worst of the races that spawned them. The power that she wielded was also an indicator that the gods of the planets were smiling on her. To be able to command the wind was not something to be taken lightly.

  They had spoken in depth about her role in the abbey and her studies. She had to apply herself to be the best and brightest. Nisa was to become a beacon of the possibilities of technology and she would be the best clone that she could be.

  Over the years, she had heard whispers about the clones. Their savagery in battle, their peculiar talents, the shifters, the psychics and the energy wielders were stuff of legend. Little was known about the women. In fact, most people who gossiped about the blenders had no idea that there were ever matches made for those very powerful males. Nisa was under orders not to tell them, but when Beela had asked her to officiate, the time was perfect to let her formal robes declare her species to see who noticed.

  Now that the wedding was over and the cleanup was scheduled for the morning, Nisa had some time to herself. She flew up and over the abbey, touching the tip of her slipper to the high tower. The wind yanked at the shingles, so she moved beyond the abbey walls and ran up the rock face on the far side.

  As the blasts of air moved her along, she could have sworn that she heard the screech of a bird. Nisa turned slowly in place, looking into the darkness around her. There was no one, but as she stared at the city far below, she saw flickering silhouettes in the darkness.

  A blast of air that was not being controlled by her mind washed over her as dark wings passed above her. There was one thing that she was suddenly certain of, she was no longer alone.

  Nisa gently settled herself on a wide, grassy outcropping and was unsurprised to hear the huge wing beats get closer until she was facing three huge birds that rapidly shifted into males.

  “Nisa, we are glad to see you awake.” Watt smiled down at her and he reached out to caress the mark that matched the ones on their chests.

  She couldn’t take offense. It was as if he touched her for comfort. The effect of his hand on her marking was similar to the one that she felt when she caressed herself in the darkness.

  “What the hell were you doing three hundred feet up?” Prio was scowling at her.

  She blinked in surprise. She could see them fairly clearly as a side effect of her freakish eyes, but his face was still in shadows. “I was flying. What were you doing? Because if you think you were masturbating, I am fairly sure you were doing it wrong.”

  Raz put his hand on Prio’s arm. “What Prio meant to say is that your skills with manipulating wind are fairly impressive. To what extent can you move objects?”

  She smiled shyly. “The largest object I can move is myself. I surround my body with a capsule, move the wind from the ambient surface heat and try not to let any stray breezes affect the local environmental systems.”

  Raz looked around them and nodded. “May we take you back to the abbey? This is not a safe environment to be wandering around on.”

  She blinked. “I am not sure that I will like hanging from someone’s claws.”

  Watt chuckled. “You can simply hang onto our backs between our wings. When we shift, just take hold of one of us and we will get you safely home.”

  Before she could comment, they shifted back to giant birds and turned their backs to her.

  She stepped to Raz and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tight as he hopped to the edge of the cliff before falling and extending his wings. Flying this way took her breath away. It was so much faster than her leisurely stride through the sky, drifting like a soap bubble.

  In under a minute, they were back in the gardens surrounding the abbey and Nisa was sliding back to be on her own two feet.

  Raz shifted back into a normal form and took her hand. “Thank you for trusting me.”

  “If I can’t trust my own males,
who can I trust?”

  Watt and Prio walked from table to table, collecting every candle as they went. They returned and set the candles on the centre of one table, lighting them all to provide a splash of illumination in the garden.

  Raz led her to the table and held out her chair. “We missed out on getting to know you earlier when we had to attend to a matter in the city, but now we are here and we hope that you will help us to learn a little more about you.”

  She looked at the three men and their attentive expressions. “What do you want to know?”

  Watt leaned back. “Tell us how you came to be living with an exiled band of Harmonic priests.”

  She smiled sadly. “To tell you how I got here, we will have to begin with the Zasks. They were good parents and very protective of me. My eyes were a little too obvious to have me in a standard school on Mocoorow, so my mother homeschooled me. It was what kept me from being killed when the first of the wilderness riots began.”

  They listened raptly as she explained the protests, the killing of students and the panic for food as all imports to the planet were shut down. The wilderness protestors wanted complete anarchy, a destruction of the cities and a return to the pioneer days that their ancestors had enjoyed.

  Their movement caused the murder of over nine million citizens when the anarchy they craved broke out and infrastructure dissolved. Disease cascaded wildly and with the loss of the medical centres, there was nothing to hold it in check.

  Nisa and the priests had escaped in the early days. Later reports stated that the planet would not be inhabitable again for two hundred years.

  “And so, after years of designing the gardens with Brother Yenvik, I knew it was time to offer the views to the folk in the cities for their mating traditions. It has created a supportive sideline for the abbey.” She leaned her head on her fist and yawned.

  “We are keeping you awake.” Prio smiled.

  She chuckled. “You have no idea. The moment that I saw you, my hormones surged into full alert. I don’t think that I will be able to sleep for quite some time.”